Title page for ETD etd-08142007-205006

Felinus Domus: A Veterinary Hospital for Cats in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia

Degree

Master of Architecture

Department

Architecture

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name

Title

Holt, Jaan

Committee Chair

Emmons, Paul F.

Committee Member

Rott, Hans Christian

Committee Member

Keywords

curiosity

barrel vault

inhabit

louver

dwell

dwelling

scale

spine

proportion

animal architecture

hospital

veterinary

pattern transformed to receive an anomaly

display windows

felis domesticus

tail

animal medical facility

arch

cat

organic

curvilinear

playroom

vault

Date of Defense

2004-09-10

Availability

unrestricted

Abstract

Throughout time man has discovered that the human form, in all its harmonious proportion, can be used as a guide, gauge and tool to design and build structures. However, the human figure has not been the only organic form used to create architecture. Many animals create dwellings that synchronize with not only their own unique physical characteristics and survival instincts, but with their aesthetic preferences as well. It is logical that a design should respond to its surroundings, program and most importantly, its inhabitants.

This thesis design is for two specific occupants: the cat and the human. They are both meant to inhabit the building wholly and simultaneously. The way each of them experiences and uses the space, however, differs greatly.

For a building to survive it needs many of the same things as living creatures: sunlight, air and movement, to name a few. It also needs to function like a living creature. It must breathe, sleep, respond to the changing seasons, and adapt over time. This thesis is an investigation of how both human and cat can dwell in a building of harmonious proportion, scale, light, and material.